Why Nigeria’s farmers cannot be left behind
Sir: While the headlines often celebrate the 2025 harvest for bringing a sharp drop in food prices, we must ask: at what cost to the hands that fed us? Last
Sir: While the headlines often celebrate the 2025 harvest for bringing a sharp drop in food prices, we must ask: at what cost to the hands that fed us?
Last year, many of our farmers saw the market price for staples like maize and rice plummet by over 50%. While this was a relief for consumers, it was a catastrophe for the producers. Our farmers are currently trapped in a “scissors crisis”; crushed between the soaring costs of inputs fertilizer, seeds, and fuel—and the rock-bottom prices they receive at the farm gate. Many are now falling into a cycle of debt, unable to repay loans from the previous season.
If we truly want to create waves for agricultural transformation, the government must move beyond rhetoric and address these three structural pillars:
Timely budgetary release and inputs: We cannot farm by the calendar of bureaucracy. In 2025, significant portions of the agricultural capital budget remained unreleased well into the planting season. For 2026, the proposed N1.4 trillion allocation must be cash-backed and released before the first rains. A farmer who receives fertilizer in August for a May planting has not been helped; they have been mocked.
Value chain and price stabilization: Nigeria lost an estimated N3.5 trillion to N5 trillion in post-harvest losses in 2025 due to poor cold chains and logistics. We must stop being a nation of “raw commodity exporters” and become a hub of “agro-industrialization.” We need the state to lead in establishing price-support mechanisms and strategic grain reserves that protect farmers from price crashes.
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A human-centred lead: Behind every statistic is a father who can no longer afford school fees because his harvest sold for pennies. We need “special lead activities” that treat agriculture as a business, not a social welfare project.
We need not look far for inspiration. Through the “One District One Product” scheme, India provides tailored infrastructure and processing for specific regions; ensuring farmers aren’t just selling raw crops but are part of a high-value chain. Rwanda recently launched a roadmap that treats food systems as “engines of opportunity,” with 17% of their budget specifically dedicated to building inclusive markets and reducing post-harvest losses.
Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We can continue to let our farmers bear the brunt of market volatility, or we can follow the lead of successful nations by ensuring that the 2026 budget is a tool for empowerment, not just a document of intent. The waves of transformation must reach the smallest farm in the remotest village, or they are merely ripples in a teacup.
The time for a data-driven, human-centred agricultural revolution is now. Let us not wait until the silence in our fields becomes the hunger in our streets.
